Blackfly is a 1991 Canadian animated short from Christopher Hinton, produced by the National Film Board of Canada and based on "The Black Fly Song" by Wade Hemsworth. It was nominated for an Academy Award and Genie Award for Best Animated Short.[1] The version of the song used in the film features back-up vocals from Kate & Anna McGarrigle.[2]

Blackfly
Directed byChristopher Hinton
Produced byWilliam Pettigrew
Cinematography
  • Raymond Dumas
  • Pierre Landry
  • Lynda Pelley
Edited byChristopher Hinton
Music byWade Hemsworth
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Release date
  • 1991 (1991) (Canada)
Running time
5 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

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The film follows the general plot established by the lyrics of the song, though the film embellishes this plot with fantastical comic elements, such as recurring depictions of blackflies in human situations.[3]

As in the song, the animation depicts blackflies tormenting a man who is working for a survey crew at the Little Abitibi River, or what is now known as Little Abitibi Provincial Park.[4] Expanding on the original lyrics, the film depicts the blackflies chasing the man all the way to the moon.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Brownstein, Bill (March 7, 1992). "Montreal Animators Awaiting Night with Oscar". The Gazette.
  2. ^ "Blackfly". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  3. ^ Vickery, Patricia (1996). "Wacky Musical Stories: Not with a Sneeze but a Sniffle?". Canadian Children's Literature/Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesse: 93–95.
  4. ^ King, Betty; Fowke, Edith (August 11, 2006). "The Blackfly Song". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  5. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators. New York: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-55783-671-7.
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